An Egyptian asylum seeker on trial for gang-raping a woman on Brighton beach has claimed he filmed the assault to gather evidence for police. Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, told Hove Crown Court he was shocked when he saw two friends raping the 33-year-old woman behind a beach hut.
Al-Danasurt denied having sex with the woman and said he knew what he was witnessing was Haram – forbidden by Islamic law – and wanted to document it. In a police interview, he said: 'The video is there, you have seen it, they were raping her in the video. I was in a shock, so I started recording what I was seeing.' When asked why he changed position, laughed and zoomed in while filming, he said he did not remember and just wanted to capture them all together.
The woman, who had been on a night out with friends, claims she was dragged onto the beach and raped on October 4 last year. She told police she remembered a light shining in her face when she regained consciousness. The court heard she believed her drink may have been spiked.
Co-defendants Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, an Egyptian national, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, are accused of repeatedly raping the woman. Alshafe initially denied knowing Al-Danasurt and claimed he was not in Brighton on the night in question, despite his ID being scanned at a nightclub. He answered 'no comment' when asked about his DNA found on the woman.
Ahmadi told police all three men had consensual sex with the woman, claiming she initiated it and was conscious throughout. Al-Danasurt is additionally charged with sharing an intimate film. All three deny rape, and the trial continues.
